F29 Anti-cuts protest at Southwark Town Hall

 Report by Peoples Republic of Southwark http://www.peoplesrepublicofsouthwark.co.uk/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1863:f29-anticuts-southwark&Itemid=2

Southwark Save Our Services staged another anti-cuts protest at the Southwark Town Hall last night, before the Council Assembly about the budget.

A good turnout of some 50+ people who made enough noise and who also got plenty of support from passers-by as well as passing traffic. Elected representatives, the ones whose decisions continue to devastate the lives of growing number of local residents, were nowhere to be seen. The late-comers literally flew through the protesters without so much as a hello.

photo courtesy of Nicola Field
Speakers included members of Southwark Save Our Services and affiliated groups and unions, such as Southwark Pensioners Action Group, Unison, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition and others.
In reality, compared to previous anti-cuts protests, we found this one rather subdued, as if there was a feeling of resignation, as all the decisions had been made a long time ago, the moment both the national and local labour party decided it was not going to challenge the cuts in any way but rather work on the 'good' cuts, as 'cuts are inevitable'. The irony is that the majority of the protesters were members of unions who are still financing the same 'good-cuts-labour party'.

photo courtesy of Nicola Field
Meanwhile, in the town hall, there seemed to be have been less of the 'my party is better than yours', which is a welcome change. A lot of the dicussion seemed to have been about the free school meals which the opposition councillors continue to argue is a waste of money. A question was raised about the justification for newly created 'Deputy Cabinet Members' posts, which Cllr Oyewole defended saying they made a difference although it was not clear who to. One of the comments implied that Cllr Althea Smith admitted the Labour was storing money for pre-election, and how 'all parties did it'. One good thing we understood happened was the commitment to London Living Wage for all staff or subcontractors.

Chris Haydon of Southwark TV caught up with some of the councillors after the meeting, and you can watch his report here.

photo courtesy of Nicola Field
While the local protests and discussions seem to have little impact on what the council does, the national and local battles are far from over. Tactics may have to be slightly different though, as majority of us, mad, bad, young, old, well and ill, continue to be pushed further and further into despair.